Remembering music icon Basharat Ali Khan on June 1, 2023Radio Pakistan was an undeclared academy for the followers and practitioners of music since the creation of Pakistan. Lahore Radio Station has been the foremost in this domain of art. As a child artist I was in awe when I watched singer Munawar Sultana sitting in the same studio singing live where I do my […]
Remembering Anil Biswas whose songs captivated music lovers on May 17, 2023Anil Krishna Vishwas more known as Anil Biswas and fondly known as Anil Da, was an Indian playback singer and musician, considered one of the ancestors of playback singing in Indian cinema. To my generation he is more known as a pure melody maker of late 1940s and early 1050s. As a child I remember […]
Ijaazat is based on a trio’s dialogue on April 9, 2023Three friends Gul Shair Butt, Dr Sara Naqvi and Dr Munaza Yaqub who are also the admirers of poet, writer and filmmaker Gulzar meet after two years and discuss their lives in the light of the plot built by the three characters Mahinder, Maya and Sudha from the movie/drama titled “Ijaazat’ by famous poet Gulzar. […]
Remembering Javed Attre who was the member of the first pop band Ajays of Pakistan on March 30, 2023Before dwelling upon my memories of my dear friend Javed Attre who has left for his eternal abode, let me recapitulate some memories of my childhood. It was no different from that of anyone else from middle class educated families of 1950s. Our ambitions and expectations were also simple. If I got first division in […]
Remembering Qavi Khan — the internationally-acclaimed Pakistani actor on March 16, 2023It was in the late 1960s that I used to come across Qavi Khan Saheb in the corridors or in the small lawns in front of the newly set up Pakistan Television Corporation’s office cum studios in a small shed at the backyard of the Radio Pakistan’s premises on Empress Road, Lahore. Qavi’s versatility was […]
Remembering the contributions of Nazeer Begum — the senior most cultured singer on March 1, 2023Replay of Muneeza Hashmi’s idea of a series titled ‘Khawateen Time’ brought back the memories of famous singer of yesteryears Nazeer Begum in one of the episodes. Watching her interview by Dr. Fauzia Saeed produced by Zulfiqar Ahmad, another competent producer of PTV brought back many programmes of the established singer of that time from […]
Literary magazine Tasteer’s newest edition features ghazals and poetry on February 24, 2023Another voluminous issue of quarterly literary magazine Tasteer appeared recently edited by Naseer Ahmad Nasir. Although the editor lives in Rawalpindi, he gets his magazine published by Gagan Shahid and Amar Shahid from Jhelum. After retiring from his job as an engineer he spends all his energies in promoting literature by writing and publishing his […]
Book review: Ahwaal-e-Aalam on February 22, 2023By dedicating his book ‘Ahwaal-e-Aalam’ to Foreign Office that provided him opportunity to represent his country to various countries across the globe, Old Ravian and a prolific golf player Javed Hafiz has compiled his selected columns of the same title as that of the book under review. The wonder of the book is that he […]
Literary magazine Takhleeq has something for everyone on January 11, 2023This issue of literary Magazine Takhleeq, December 2022 includes a corner for Azhar Javed, the founder of this literary magazine including Punjabi critical review by Asif Saqib on translation of his book ‘Buhut Dair Ho Gai’ by Hanif Bawa. MD Malik has the honour of reading versions, the Punjabi version as was gifted by the […]
Diverse short stories in an intriguing new book on December 27, 2022A lady in her utter embarrassment stated recently on social media that despite being Punjabi by birth she gets embarrassed when she is asked as to why her children do not converse in Punjabi language. She knew that as her children had grown, she had preferred to make their admission in English speaking schools. Punjabi […]